Newsletter Term 1 Week 9

Dear Parents and Caregivers

Harmony Day Celebration 
Last Wednesday, our entire school community came together to celebrate Harmony Day. Students dressed in vibrant colours, symbolising the rich cultural diversity that makes Star of the Sea School so special. Our celebration began with a heartfelt prayer, thanking God for the gift of diversity. We listened as students spoke in different languages, joined in song and dance, and enjoyed a live \ performance by Karno from our Marine Discovery Centre. 

A highlight of the morning celebration was capturing the entire school in a moment of harmony via an overhead drone. We cannot wait to share these incredible images with you! 

AGM and Parent Forum 
We were delighted to welcome lots of parents to our Annual General Meeting and Parent Forum last Monday night, where we reflected on the highlights of the 2024 school year, bid farewell to outgoing School Board members, and welcomed new members for 2025.  

We express our sincere gratitude to outgoing members, Dave Slovinec (Board Chair), Nathan Foulis, Elizabeth Sarris and Amy Diggins. Their dedicated service and valuable contributions to Star of the Sea over their varied tenures have been instrumental. 

We had an overwhelming interest from parents eager to join our School Board for 2025. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who submitted a nomination. Congratulations to our newly appointed Board Members: Abi Lahon, Libby Hartley, Alexandra Bishop and Timothy Sarris.

We sincerely appreciate all the parents who attended our recent Parent Forum and shared valuable insights to help shape our 2025–2028 Strategic Plan. Your enthusiasm and commitment to our school's growth were evident in the thoughtful discussions and suggestions. 

Building on the success of the evening, we are excited to invite those that were unable to attend to another Parent Forum session—this time in the morning! Please join us for coffee after drop-off on Wednesday 9 April, at 9:00 AM in the OSHC Room. For those unable to attend, an online survey will be available for you to share your suggestions. We look forward to your continued engagement! 

Parents and Friends Events 
Our wonderful Parents and Friends team are busy organising exciting events in the coming weeks! 

Donut Day: Orders are open for Friday 11 April, details have been shared via Audiri. 

Easter Raffle: Donations of Easter chocolates, gifts, or crafts are being collected outside classrooms. The raffle will be drawn on Tuesday 29 April. 

Blanc Soiree: Our major fundraising event for 2025! Save the date for Saturday 16 August 2025 for a special sit-down dinner at the newly renovated Morphettville Racecourse function room. Sponsorship details have been shared via Audiri, and we hope you can join us for a fantastic community evening! 

Sports Day 
Tomorrow, we look forward to our much-anticipated Sports Day at Henley Oval! This event is always a highlight of the year, filled with community spirit, sportspersonship and fun. We extend a huge thank you to Kristen Victory, Kirsty Crouch, and our dedicated staff and parent volunteers for their hard work in organising this special day.  

Seaview Road Traffic Safety 
Traffic congestion on Seaview Road has become a growing concern, with motorists stopping in unsafe areas near the crossing to pick up students. This has made it increasingly difficult for road monitors and pedestrians to see oncoming traffic, creating a dangerous situation. 

To ensure everyone’s safety, we remind our community that the section between the Seaview Road gate and Marlborough Street is a NO PARKING ZONE. Additionally, in the mornings, we kindly ask that drivers avoid prolonged parking or exiting vehicles for conversations, as this disrupts the flow of traffic and causes unnecessary delays. 

We appreciate the efforts of those who follow the rules and urge all motorists to prioritise safety by adhering to traffic regulations. Your cooperation is essential in keeping our school community safe and ensuring a smooth drop-off and pick-up experience for everyone. 

Supervision of Children 
As part of our ongoing commitment to student safety, we kindly remind all families to ensure their children are not climbing on the generator cage or using the yellow bollards near the MDC as turn bars. While a teacher is on duty each morning to support a safe and calm start to the day, we also appreciate the support of parents and caregivers who are present in reinforcing these expectations. Your partnership in helping us maintain a safe environment for all children is truly valued. 

Positive Behaviour Interventions and Supports (PBIS) 
We are continuing our school’s Positive Behaviour Interventions and Supports journey. PBIS is a school-wide approach focused on creating a positive, consistent and supportive learning environment for all students. This proactive approach is being implemented across many Catholic Schools in South Australia.  

Research shows that students and educators benefit from clearly defined behaviour standards, and the explicit instruction of expected behaviours, followed by consistent correction when it is needed. The three-tiered behaviour management approach aims to assist in the following ways:  

• reducing problematic behaviour  

• increasing time focused on instruction  

• improving social-emotional wellbeing  

• fostering positive and respectful relationships among students and staff  

• providing better support for teachers to teach, model and respond effectively to student needs 

At Star of the Sea, we already have established School Values: Respect, Inclusivity, Collaboration, Compassion and Honesty. In addition to these embedded values, we are in the process of determining our school’s guiding principles and expectations which will shape our behaviour matrix and explicit instruction of desired school wide behaviours. 

As part of this process, a simple behaviour tracking tool is being used to help staff gather consistent information about student behaviours across the school day. This tool will help us better understand behaviour patterns and support students effectively. We will continue to keep families informed as we introduce and promote our school-wide expectations with students.  

For more information about PBIS, please visit the link 

Condolences 
We are deeply saddened to share the news of the sudden passing of Michael Tambakis, a much-loved and respected member of our school community. Michael was the devoted father of Isabella, Sophia, and Lila, and husband of Mirella and his presence, warmth, and kindness touched many within our community. 

We extend our heartfelt condolences to the Tambakis family during this incredibly difficult time. We ask that you please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.   

Go gently, 

Annette Diassinas and Kelly Manera
Co-Principals 

Project Compassion – Caritas Australia
Lent is a special time of year. It is a time of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. As individuals we can help others, and when we come together though Project Compassion, our good becomes great. Our combined kindness grows. And when we unite with each other – and with people living in poverty – we can create BIG, lasting changes.

Imagine if we had to send our students home early each day as there was no running water at school. This is the reality for many students and schools around the world. Click on the link to learn about Toefuata'iga, a 13-year-old primary school student in Samoa, who faces severe challenges and disruptions to her learning due to water scarcity. After Caritas Australia’s partner Caritas Samoa installed a 10,000 litre water tank at her school, Toefuata'iga and her classmates saw improved health, consistent attendance, and more opportunities to prioritise education.

This Lent, we are called to support Caritas Australia to transform lives around the world. When we hear stories such as Toefuata'iga’s, we are reminded of how fortunate we are to have such amazing facilities for our students at Star of the Sea.

The last day of term will be a casual day to raise money for Project Compassion. We ask that you send in your donations on or go to QKR! (under Charity Collections) to donate towards Project Compassion, so as a school community we can help support those in need.

Sacrament of Reconciliation
Tonight 53 of our Year 4 students will celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Reconciliation (sometimes called the Sacrament of Penance, and also known as Confession) is one of the seven Sacraments and is a Sacrament of Healing.  Reconciliation is an opportunity to ask for forgiveness for the times we have sinned and turned away from God.

After the students have been given an absolution by the priest, they are invited to spend some time in quiet prayer to reflect on the sacredness of this Sacrament. This is a special time between the child and Jesus.

During Lent, we are all called to pray, repent, and examine how we can be more like Jesus. We are reminded to ask ourselves; “What can I do to be more like Jesus today?”

We ask that you keep these students and their families in your prayers as they continue this exciting and important time in their faith journey.

With Gratitude
Domenique Laurendi

Where:  Henley Oval -  Parents responsibility to drop off and pick up children from Henley Oval.
When:   Friday 28 March 2025
Time:     8.20-8.45am to 3.00pm(1.30pm JP Dismissal)

1. JP Sports Day will conclude at 1.30pm. 
2. If your child is sick on Sports Day, please inform us only by email (DO NOT CALL THE SCHOOL) absent@star.catholic.edu.au
3. The toddlers race will be at 1.15pm. Any families who have toddlers are more than welcome to participate.

Further information and map attached.  PLEASE READ.